A Light in the Darkness
by AFanOfFandoms
Summary: Jean Valjean never imagined that he would have a child. He never imagined that he would promise a dying woman to protect her daughter. He never imagined that, in the space of one day, he would find himself running from the law, not alone, but with two little girls who desperately need him. But, sometimes, it is the unexpected light that can break through the seemingly endless dark.
1. Take Me With You

**AN:** It's been a while since I ventured into the Les Mis universe (life has, generally, prevented me from writing anything for _any_ universe recently) but I went to see the actual show in the West End on Wednesday and I have found myself re-obsessed with it ever since. Hence, I have produced a 'What if Valjean also took Eponine when he saved Cosette?' fic to add to what I'm aware is a vast collection (I'm not even sorry, it's been a while since I read a good one so BAM I gave it my best shot!).

The character descriptions I included here refer to the Young Eponine and Cosette currently in the West End production and are therefore the complete opposite to the movie (just in case that's what anyone was expecting). Enjoy!

* * *

Valjean forcefully placed the five hundred francs that sealed his deal with the Thénardiers on the table before taking Cosette by the hand. "Come, Cosette," he murmured after thanking the revolting couple for putting him rather deeply out of pocket.

As he reached the door, he glanced back one final time and he met eyes with a young girl stood in the corner of the room, a stark contrast to the young girl with tangled, dirtied brown locks, tattered clothing and a malnourished complexion clutching his hand. This child can't have been much older than Cosette, but with her tidy blonde hair, expensive clothing and healthy look, you could be forgiven for assuming that she was much older.

As their eyes met, Valjean found that she watched him and Cosette leave with not just curiosity but envy alongside. She then turned to look at the Thénardiers, who he could only assume were her parents, frowning slightly as she saw them trying to multitask keeping up their 'devout Christian' act and celebrating their newly gained funds.

Valjean was unable to ponder this for another second, however, as an impatient Cosette tugged on the sleeve of his coat in an attempt to force him out of the door. He chuckled quietly, patting her hand gently. "Alright, Cosette, we shall go." He assured her. When he turned to glance back at the girl in the corner, however, she was gone.

*. . .*

Valjean bought Cosette the doll she had looked at so longingly on their way back from the forest (he had already spent a fortune on taking her away from a life of slavery; another payment, tiny in comparison to the one he had just made, was unlikely to damage his accounts much further), presenting it to her and revelling in the way her face lit up.

He carried her the rest of the way to his carriage, suddenly aware that the child was walking barefoot in the snow. He swore to himself, as he had to Fantine, that Cosette would never again want for nothing; she would have anything and everything she wanted or needed because, after the amount of suffering she had had to endure, she deserved it.

He lifted her into the carriage, placing her gently onto the seat before moving to climb up himself.

"Monsieur! Monsieur, please, wait! Please, monsieur, don't go!"

Valjean turned around to find the other girl from the Thénardiers' inn running towards him. She skidded to a stop in front of him, her boots offering little grip in the snow.

"What is it, my child?" Valjean asked her, looking slightly concerned.

"Please, monsieur, take me with you," the young girl begged, "Please take me with Cosette!" Valjean frowned.

"What is your name?" he asked her. The girl swallowed, her excitement waning slightly.

"Éponine, monsieur," she said, "Éponine Thénardier."

"Well, Éponine," Valjean crouched slightly so that he could properly look at her, "It wouldn't be good of me to take you from your parents."

"They don't love me, monsieur!" Éponine argued, "I can tell that they don't! I... I'm nothing more than a doll and a tool to them! Something to dress up and to use to steal from people! Please, monsieur, don't make me stay here. I... I fear to think what might happen if you do."

As Valjean studied Éponine, he was somewhat astounded by her intelligence; she could so easily see through her parents' ruses and knew exactly how to manipulate him into wanting to take her away.

He glanced back at Cosette, who looked neither happy about, nor against, the idea of taking Éponine with them.

"Please, monsieur?" Éponine pleaded again. Valjean looked back to her and the look on her face was enough to make his decision for him.

"Very well," he said, becoming aware that Javert couldn't have been much further behind him and that time was of the essence, "Do you have anything you wish to bring with you?"

Éponine grinned, lifting her shawl to show him a bag, "I've got some dresses and shoes," she told him, "Some... some of them are slightly older and smaller. I thought they might fit Cosette." Valjean's face softened further at this and he turned around to see Cosette with a slight look of shock on her face.

"Th- Thank you, Éponine." Cosette said quietly, sounding as surprised as she looked. Éponine smiled slightly.

"I'm sorry, Cosette," she said, "I've been horrid to you. I... I was just trying to make Mama and Papa love me. I thought, if I did what they did then they might... but no. It was wrong of me. I'm sorry."

Valjean looked between the two girls and shook his head slightly, trying to work out how he managed to become a father to an abandoned child and possibly the wisest eight year old to ever have lived in such a short space of time.

"Let's not stand in this cold any longer," he said quietly, taking Éponine's bag from her and placing it next to Cosette on the seat before lifting Éponine into the carriage, "We must leave."

"Are you in trouble, monsieur?" Éponine asked, looking at him with a similar expression of curiosity to the one she'd had in the inn. Valjean smiled reassuringly, hiding his true worry behind it.

"Not in any way that you should worry about, mes petites," he said, climbing into the carriage himself and shutting the door, knocking on the window to alert the driver that they were ready to go.

They rode in virtual silence, Cosette and Éponine sitting across from Valjean, almost the entire seat between them. Éponine kept glancing at the other girl but Cosette refused to look at her, watching the world pass her by from the window. Her heart dropped slightly; she'd hoped that her peace offering would be enough to appease Cosette at least enough for her apology to break through. Alas, the distance between the two simply demonstrated to Éponine that materialistic things did not always have the power to make people happy.

After a while, however, Cosette's eyelids began to droop, the exhaustion of spending the day working in the inn coupled with the excitement of finally escaping catching up with her. Somehow, her head ended up in Éponine's lap and, when Éponine tried to gently push her away, she simply cuddled in closer, Cosette's hand catching one of Éponine's and clutching it tightly, the other arm hugging her new doll.

Éponine looked up at Valjean with wide, surprised eyes. The man simply smiled back at her softly. "Give her time, little one," he said quietly, "Cosette's mother had one of the kindest hearts I have ever known; I do not doubt that her daughter has inherited this quality. She will forgive you." Éponine didn't say anything to that, nodding in acknowledgement instead.

"Thank you for taking me away, monsieur," she said after a minute, "I... I hope I can prove to you one day that it was the right decision." Valjean met her eyes and was astounded by the sincerity he found there. Éponine's maturity, he guessed, would continue to surprise him for the rest of his days.

"I believe you already have," he replied. Éponine smiled brightly at his response before leaning her head on the window, using the curtains as a pillow as she fell asleep, contentedly holding Cosette's hand as the two young girls let their new Papa watch over them.

That was exactly what Valjean did as the carriage took them further away from the village that had acted as a prison to both girls; it had trapped Cosette in a life of slavery and mistreatment, and Éponine in a life where she was doomed to be unloved and used.

In that moment, watching over his daughters, Valjean swore one thing to himself: he would never let either girl find herself in such a position ever again. They would be the most loved, appreciated and well-treated young ladies in all of France and no one, especially not Javert, would stop Jean Valjean from ensuring it.

* * *

**Chapter 1 complete! I am hoping for this to be multi-chapter (though, as I mentioned, life has a habit of getting in the way!), going right through to the barricades. I haven't decided exactly where this is going yet (i.e. whether it will be canon compliant or whether I'm going to go down the whole AU 'successful revolution' route like I have with previous stories). **

**Thank you ever so much for reading; throw me a review if you wish to make my day! TTFN :3**


	2. What Now?

**AN: **I'm back! I haven't updated anything in about a year and here I am with two updates in under a week! My obsession with the amaingness that is Les Mis has well and truly returned with a passion and it makes me incredibly happy.

A little bit more Éponine/Cosette interaction in this one because... well, they're only little. I've never known an eight year old to hold a grudge! Enjoy!

* * *

The carriage travelled in peace for an hour or more but, as they reached the entrance to a larger town, it slowed to a stop as officials passed each vehicle seeking entry asking for papers.

A feeling of dread that felt like a stone made Valjean's stomach drop as he hurriedly moved to wake up the two sleeping girls across from him.

"Cosette, Éponine," he muttered. Éponine woke first, jolting awake; she never had been a heavy sleeper and the sudden sound of his voice startled her from her sleep.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. Valjean didn't reply, simply shaking Cosette's shoulder until she woke.

"We must go," he told them both, "Quickly." He threw the door open and the two girls hurried out. He tried to get Cosette to leave her doll behind but she stubbornly refused, clutching it's arm for all she was worth until he relented.

Valjean moved to follow them out, leaving the small number of belongings he had brought with him; as an afterthought, he picked up the bag of clothes Éponine had brought with her, not wanting the girl's efforts to go to waste. He dropped the small bag into the large pockets of his coat before closing the door softly so as not to draw attention.

He took each girl by the hand, pulling them along with him as he ran away from what would inevitably end in his arrest at the city gates. After a while, Cosette began to tire and Valjean lifted her into his arms. He offered to pick Éponine up as well, but she declined with a small grin.

"I'm fine, monsieur," she replied, "And we'll be faster if we both run." Valjean couldn't argue with that and allowed her to lead the way, marvelling at how she was able to effortlessly wind her way around the buildings that surrounded them as they cut down alley after alley.

Typically, Javert didn't catch up with them until they found themselves at a dead-end. Valjean looked around anxiously, his eyes settling on a pile of rope behind a bin. He quickly arranged it so that he could climb up onto the wall blocking their way.

"I'm going to climb up," he told the two girls, "And then I shall lift you up to join me."

"There won't be time," Éponine said quietly, "You climb and take Cosette with you. I'll distract the man." Valjean opened his mouth to protest but Éponine pushed him in the direction of the rope, "There's no _time_, monsieur, just _go_!"

His options dwindling by the second, Valjean shifted Cosette onto his back, instructing her to hold on tight, before pulling himself onto the wall, pulling the rope up after him just as Javert rounded the corner into the alleyway and Éponine burst into tears.

"Oh, monsieur, monsieur!" she sobbed, "There was a man! He had a girl with him and he tried to take me away! I only came out to dispose of the last of my family's dinner as a favour to my mother! Oh, please, monsieur, he ran when he heard you coming! Please catch him, he went that way!" She pointed at the path that led past the alleyway and Javert quickly ran in that direction without so much as a second glance at Éponine.

Éponine wiped her tears away and looked up at where Valjean was looking down at her in surprise. She grinned at him cheekily, before lifting up her arms, silently asking him to send the rope back down.

* * *

When all three were safely over the other side of the wall, Valjean still carrying Cosette, he turned to Éponine.

"Thank you, Éponine," he said sincerely, "That was quite the performance." Éponine smiled up at him.

"I may only be little, but I know plenty, monsieur," she assured him, "And not just how to start crying whenever I want something." Valjean smiled as he ushered her along, eventually finding themselves in a garden where a man was digging in the dark.

The man froze when he heard them coming, holding up his shovel defensively, "Who's there?!" he called threateningly.

"Please, monsieur," Valjean said quickly, "We mean you no harm." The man peered forwards through the darkness.

"Monsieur la Maire?!" he said. Valjean looked confused so he elaborated, "I'm Fauchelevent. I was trapped under my cart and... you saved my life."

"Good monsieur," Valjean said desperately, "We need a place of safety, these little girls and I. We need to disappear. Can you help us?" Fauchelevent nodded after considering a moment.

"Come with me," he said, leaving his shovel sticking out of the ground and leading them in the direction of the building that surrounded the garden.

"Monsieur, do you know this man?" Éponine asked Valjean quietly.

"I do, little one," he spoke quietly, "He will help us, I am sure."

"Who was that other man, Papa?" Cosette asked quietly, speaking for the first time since they had first climbed into the carriage, "The man chasing us?"

"He is no one important," Valjean said, so confidently that not even Éponine could find room to question him, "And once we have settled, I doubt he will cause us any trouble again."

Éponine and Cosette met eyes for a moment, silently asking the other whether or not they believed him.

In the end, they came to an equally silent conclusion: whether the man was lying or not, he had taken them away from a bad place. And for that reason, they figured he deserved the benefit of the doubt.

* * *

Fauchelevent ended up finding them accommodation in an old house on the edge of what Valjean and the two girls learned to be a convent. It was a small, modest house, reserved for what had once been servants' quarters, before the old building had been commissioned as a religious house.

He ensured that they were settled before going off to find them something to eat, also adding a promise to talk to the head of the nunnery in the morning to try and get Cosette and Éponine enrolled in the convent school.

"Young ladies shouldn't be left to aimlessly while away their days," he said as reasoning, "I'm sure they'll be happy to take them on." He then left the little family alone.

Valjean shrugged off his coat despite the cold, moving to start a fire in the fireplace. There was a pile of firewood to one side that had miraculously survived however long it had been sat there. Hanging from a nail dug into the stone were two pieces of flint on a string, which he used to promptly set some of the smaller bits of wood alight. He carefully nursed the fire until it was big enough to throw some heat into the room, Cosette and Éponine watching him all the while.

He turned around once he was sure the fire would stay lit, facing the girls with a small smile.

"There is no need to be so serious, mes petites," he said gently, "We will be alright."

"I'm sure we will, monsieur, but..." Éponine trailed off, "What are we going to do next?"

"We shall stay here as long as they will have us," Valjean said after a moment, "And afterwards, we shall move somewhere else. Maybe to Paris. I have enough money tucked away to keep us warm and fed. You have nothing to worry about." Éponine seemed satisfied with this answer, shrugging her shawl off and settling herself comfortably on the floor by the fire.

"Cosette," Valjean said gently, approaching the still-standing girl, "Come. Get warm. I don't want you to catch your death." Cosette took the hand he held out to her and slowly edged her way towards the fire until she could sit close enough to properly feel its heat. Even then, however, she sat as far away from Éponine as she could, not noticing the other girl's expression drop as she stared into the flames.

Éponine looked up at Valjean with sad eyes before a despaired expression appeared on her face, "My bag!" she said dejectedly, "I left it in the carriage!"

Valjean smiled suddenly, moving to where he'd hung his coat by the door and digging Éponine's bag from his pocket, "We couldn't have that, couldn't we?" he asked rhetorically. He passed the bag to her and she took it gratefully.

"Thank you, monsieur," she said sincerely, settling it in her lap and opening it. She dug around in it for a moment before pulling out a small box. She looked across to where Cosette was still staring into the fire, her doll sat in her own lap as she fiddled absentmindedly with her hair.

Éponine slid the box across the wooden floor to her, catching her attention. Cosette looked at her in confusion, "What is it?" she asked cautiously. Valjean also looked slightly baffled.

"When your mother dropped you off when we were little, this was in one of the bags that my parents took from her," Éponine explained, "This fell out when they were carrying it all up the stairs. Neither of them realised so I picked it up and... and kept it. I've never taken it out, I just... I thought it was pretty. They sold all of the other stuff except for a few dresses that they kept for Azelma and me. I didn't want something so beautiful to go to someone who didn't deserve it."

Cosette opened the box and gasped quietly. Inside was a silver locket, intricately patterned and it looked newer than anything Cosette had owned before her new doll. She carefully lifted it from the box and opened it, finding a lock of brown hair inside almost an identical shade to her own.

"I think it's your mother's," Éponine said, "I thought... since she's in heaven now with my grand-pére and my little brother, Sebastien... you would want it to remind you of her."

Valjean found himself almost moved to tears as Cosette cradled the locket in her hands. He seemed to remember, a memory from nowhere that he was half convinced he had made up, that when he had first seen Fantine all that time ago at the factory, she had worn a similar locket, which would imply that Éponine's assumption was true.

"That's very thoughtful of Éponine, isn't it, Cosette?" he prompted of the younger girl, who looked up at Éponine in a new light.

"Th... Thank you, Éponine," she said quietly.

"I know it doesn't make up for everything I did," Éponine told her, "But... I am sorry, Cosette."

Cosette shook her head, a smile forming on her face, "Oh, but you're wrong," she said, "This does make up for it. It makes up for everything." She threw herself at her new sister, hugging her tightly. Éponine froze for a moment before tentatively hugging her back.

Valjean watched his daughters, amazed at both how easy it was for children to forgive one another but also at how Éponine's actions had been far beyond her years. It would appear that, though he'd expected Cosette's suffering to have made her seem older than she looked, it had instead made her seem younger. In contrast, Éponine's privileged upbringing should, in any other circumstances, have made her more naïve, and yet she was so much mature than he'd assumed she would be.

Watching the two girls slowly begin to warm up, both physically and to each other, Valjean pondered how he had never expected to have a family again after so many years. Now that he had one, it was constantly denying his expectations in ways he could never have imagined.

And, he decided, that was exactly how he liked it.

* * *

**Et voila! I apologise for any typos (I spotted one right before I wrote this and quickly changed it but my student mind is stubbornly refusing to go to the effort of reading it through all over again!). **

**I've already started the third chapter (I was originally going to have just two chapters of little Éponine and Cosette but I've got a lot more to write than I thought I would!) so hopefully I'll be able to update again at the weekend if sixth-form is kind! **

**Thank you ever so much for reading and if you'd like to chuck me a review then it'd be much appreciated and I shall be forever grateful! Thank you to everyone who's left one so far, as well as those who followed/favourited - it means an awful lot!**

**Until next time, dear readers, TTFN!**


	3. A New Start

**AN:** Whhhaaaaattttt?! Me updating with... AN ACTUAL CHAPTER?! *GASP* Yes! I am (relatively speaking) back! I won't lie, I did start writing this chapter months ago, and I did procrastinate/revise for exams/take exams/pass exams/finish my DofE/work all summer. BUT, the real point here is that I DFINISH IT AND I'M UPLOADING IT _AND_ I PROOF READ, BE PROUD OF ME!

If I'm honest, this isn't even that good a chapter. It's a filler that irons out some details and there's a bit of character building but not much actually _happens_. However, it is kind of cute and there are some fluffy bits in there so: enjoy!

* * *

The following morning, Cosette woke up content for the first time she could remember. She was curled up in a small bed to one corner of the back room, an _actual bed_, with a mattress and a pillow and a blanket. Éponine slept in a similar bed on the opposite wall, though the older girl was still fast asleep.

Cosette pulled herself out of the bed, only slightly reluctant, padding softly through to the living area, where Valjean was sat reading a book so old that the title had worn off the spine.

"Good morning, Cosette," he said when she lingered in the doorway, "Did you sleep well?"

Cosette slowly walked into the room, "Yes, thank you, Papa," she said happily.

"You're up very early," he commented.

"Is it early?" Cosette asked, slightly confused, "This is when I normally wake up. I sweep the floors and then I do the washing and when everyone has had breakfast, I wash up the dishes." Valjean frowned.

"Well, I shan't have that anymore," he said, closing his book, "What would you like for breakfast, ma petite?"

Cosette tilted her head slightly, "I normally have bread and water?" she offered, unsure of what else she could say.

Valjean's frown deepened, "Is that all?" he asked. Cosette nodded.

"Monsieur and Madame always said that that was all that was left because I took so long sweeping," she said quietly. Valjean felt almost pure hatred for the Thénardiers but hid it behind a smile.

"Well, I can't use that excuse, now, can I?" he said, taking her by the hand and leading her into the kitchen, "I will never ask you to sweep, Cosette, I promise you that. Now, the real question is: _tartines_ or croissants?"

* * *

Éponine woke around half an hour later to laughing coming from the other side of the house. She had slept better through the night than she had in a while, despite the excitement they had experienced that evening.

She pulled herself out of bed, shivering slightly in her nightgown and missing the warmth of her blanket, before walking through the living area and into the kitchen. She smiled at the scene before her.

"Monsieur, I believe you have some jam on your nose." She said with a grin.

"Thank you, Éponine," Valjean said with a wry smile, Cosette still giggling in front of him, her hands also covered in jam.

"Éponine, look!" she said joyfully, "Croissants _and_ jam! Can you remember the last time you had jam?!"

Éponine, in fact, couldn't; her parents had long since stopped purchasing luxuries such as jam, instead spending their money on alcohol or ways to keep up the ruse that their inn was a decent establishment.

She quickly sat herself down at the table, saying a quick prayer before hurrying to grab a plate and a croissant, accepting the spoon that Cosette passed her and ladling a generous spoonful of jam on top.

"What will we do today, monsieur?" she asked before biting into her breakfast and sighing contentedly.

"Yes, Papa, what shall we do?" Cosette seconded Éponine's question excitedly. Valjean picked up a napkin from the table, wiping the jam from his nose before answering.

"First, we'll finish our breakfast," he said thoughtfully, "Then, I believe a shopping trip is in order."

A solid knock sounded on the door then, and Valjean excused himself to answer it. He returned a few moments later with Fauchelevent following behind him.

"Good morning, Mademoiselles," the groundkeeper said, nodding to the two. Valjean dipped a cloth into a bucket of water by the stove, moving to clean the jam from Cosette's face. Éponine rolled her eyes at the mess her sister had got herself in.

"Good morning, monsieur," she replied politely, "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you, mademoiselle," Fauchelevent replied, "I just dropped in to say that Sister Marianne, the head of the convent, would be delighted to meet both of you girls this morning."

Valjean looked marginally surprised, "Well, thank you, monsieur," he said genuinely, "If there is anything I can do to repay you, please let me know."

"Actually, monsieur," the other man said, "There is something. You see, the convent gardens need constant maintenance, especially at this time of year. Now, it may be beneath someone of your status but I was wondering if you'd be able to lend a hand with the gardening. The nuns are willing to pay a salary, not much, mind you, but enough to keep you and your little ones content."

Valjean could hardly believe his ears, "Monsieur, I couldn't ask for money for something like that," he said, "For you, I shall do it for free."

"Nonsense," Fauchelevent said with a casual wave of his hand, "If you wish to support your daughters then you can't do anything for nothing! Now, Sister Marianne asks that you come to the entrance of the convent at nine thirty sharp. Perhaps without the jam, mademoiselle," he said, smiling at Cosette, who grinned back at him.

"We'll be there," Valjean promised, "Thank you, monsieur." Fauchelevent tipped his hat to them, saying that he'd show himself out so that the small family could finish their breakfast.

"Well, mes filles, it appears shopping will have to wait," Valjean said, cleaning the last of the jam from Cosette's face with a fond smile, "We must get you into the convent school." Éponine frowned.

"I despise school," she muttered, "All the rules and the strictness! And the boys always get to learn about things far more interesting than girl do!"

Valjean smiled slightly, though his tone was firm, "Alas, my dear Éponine, you must go. School is important for young ladies like you and Cosette." Éponine huffed quietly but didn't argue. Cosette simply looked at her curiously.

"What's school like, 'Ponine?" she asked, the nickname she'd heard Azelma and Gavroche use so many times before slipping from her mouth without a second thought. She'd often wished, watching the three siblings play whilst she swept the floor or washed clothes in the big barrel in the kitchen, that she could join in, fondly nicknaming the other children as they played. She would simply be Cosette, thinking for hours on end about ways she could shorten her name and finding none that she liked. 'Ponine, however, was easy; it flowed off her tongue far quicker than Éponine did, thought Cosette never dared to call Éponine by anything other than her full name lest the Thénardiers be passing by to hear her.

Cosette held her breath for a moment after asking her question, wondering if Éponine would pick up on her use of the nickname that sounded so unfamiliar in her own voice.

Her worry appeared to be for nothing, as Éponine simply huffed again, "It's ever so boring, Cosette," she said, "They make you write for hours on end, and learn how to do boring sums in ways that don't make even the slightest bit of sense! And the books they have us read are so ridiculously dull."

"I don't know how to read or write," Cosette said, frowning worriedly, "I can't do any sums either! Oh, Papa, they surely won't let me join if I can't do anything!"

Valjean frowned slightly, "Don't fret, ma petite," he said gently, "You might not know how to do these things now but you can learn."

"I'll help, Cosette!" Éponine said excitedly, "And I'll make it much more interesting than any silly old teachers!"

Valjean tried to frown at Éponine (really, he did), but the sheer enthusiasm in the girl's expression only made him smile.

"Try not to mention to your teachers that you think them 'silly' and 'old', Éponine," he said, "I'm not sure anything good can come of that." Éponine rolled her eyes.

"Of course I'm not silly enough to get _caught_ saying it, monsieur," she said, a sly grin on her face, "I'm a Thénardier! Getting caught isn't in our nature!" she then turned back to Cosette, adopting a more serious look, "Now, the reading and writing and arithmetic is horrible and all, but don't even get me _started_ on etiquette..."

* * *

A few hours later, Valjean, Cosette and Éponine having met with Sister Marianne (who was, in fact, _not_ old, nor silly, which even Éponine had to admit). She had welcomed the family warmly, thanking Valjean for his promise to help Fauchelevent in the gardens quickly agreeing to let the two girls into the convent school.

"You've come at a decent time," she said as she took the three on a tour of the convent, "You've just missed the start of the year, but most topics have come to a close now; you're in a good position to join in the new year."

Éponine simply nodded in response as Cosette tugged uncomfortably on the sleeve of the dress they'd dug out of Éponine's bag; it was finer than anything she'd worn for as long as she could remember, even if it was just a Sunday outfit that had been bought for Azelma, who had promptly refused to ever wear something so restrictive. The girl was so fond of what Éponine called 'boys games' that the older girl often wondered if she had any sisters at all, or if she had been cursed to grow up with the company of four _brothers_ instead.

"E-Excuse me, Madame?" Cosette said timidly after a moment, "I'm sorry to ask, but... I can't read, nor write, and I've never even seen a sum! Are... are you sure you're willing to let me in?" The smile Sister Marianne offered in response was as warm as her initial welcome.

"Don't worry, my child, we'll soon have you at the same point as your sister," the nun reassured her, "You'll start with a tutor and then, when you've caught up, you can join Éponine, here, with the rest of your class." The look of pure relief on Cosette's face made even Éponine smile.

"There, you see?" she said, slipping her hand into Cosette's and squeezing it lightly, "I told you there'd be nothing to worry about!" Cosette simply smiled back happily, returning the squeeze before returning her attention to Sister Marianne.

After their tour, and after Valjean sorted out the finer details of the girls' education and his employment with Sister Marianne, Valjean _did_ take Cosette and Éponine shopping. The few provisions Éponine had managed to gather from her old home had certainly been helpful (Cosette had only one dress, no shoes and nothing to sleep in, and Éponine's bag contained solutions to all three of these issues), but it was not enough to keep both girls comfortably clothed for the foreseeable future.

However, by the end of the day, the two girls were exhausted. When the clock chimed seven, the girls having almost fallen asleep in their supper, Valjean tucked Cosette and Éponine into their respective beds, kissing them each on the forehead before blowing out the candle. Both girls were fast asleep before he had even left the room.

* * *

**Ta-da! I'm kind of stuck about what comes after this now... part of me wants to skip straight to 1831/2, where I have tons of ideas and it all gets much more exciting. This isn't exactly a good place to end this chapter of young Cosette and Eponine's lives, though... Hmm. Drop me a review telling me what you think I should do; if you've got an idea for how I could skip forward in time a bit (plausibly, of course) whilst still making it exciting, I'd love to hear it! Otherwise if you liked/disliked/have some form of opinion regarding this chapter, I'd love to hear from you, too! **

**I shall try not to be so ridiculously slow when updating this time, though I'm going into A2 year at college so I doubt I'll have much time to write! Thanks to all of the wonderful people who have so far and I hope to post another chapter soon :)**


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